From Food Justice to Liberation: Building Community Power through Community Gardens & Urban Farms
Food systems are an essential component of community health. The state of a local food system contributes to a community’s wellbeing, the local economy, and opportunities that extend beyond growing, harvesting and distributing food including garden and farm produce, harvesting, nutritious quality, cultural roots, and access and affordability. In a just and equitable society, all communities - regardless of race, class, income, gender, ability, or geography - have access to healthy, affordable food that reflects their culture(s), respects the environment, prioritizes the communities’ needs, and provides opportunities for wellness and economic stability. However, many families residing in marginalized communities that have suffered from disinvestment in infrastructure experience food insecurity or disruption of nutritious food intake because of a lack of resources, access, resulting in what is known as food apartheid.
The purpose of this brief is to present the findings of a series of learning circles (LC) designed to understand how urban farms and community gardens stewarded by Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) power-building and base-building organizations help raise community consciousness about healthy food systems, create opportunities for resident leadership and skill development, promote local economic development, and provide healthy alternatives to the typical commodified foods that are available in marginalized communities. Additional insights from LC participants on how climate change, local, state, and federal policy all impact the way we interact with food are provided. Finally, we highlight recommendations for how communities, institutional allies, and philanthropy can support community gardens and urban farms stewarded by community organizations that impact our food systems and, by extension, the broader ecosystem of health, equity and racial justice.
From Food Justice to Liberation: Building Community Power through Community Gardens & Urban Farms is a resource from the Centering Community in Public Health - Learning Circle Brief Series.
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